Boys Will Be
by Didodikali
Summary: And you thought *Van* was good at getting in trouble. Allen, Dryden and a palace full of girls. Illustrated! Fanart!
1. No shit, There We Were

Escaflowne is not mine!  
  
Chapter One  
**No shit, there we were**  
Philios- (Friendship, The First Love)  
  
Read the illustrated version of this fic!  
http://www.lizardlounge.com/Natasha/Didodikali/boyswillbe/01boyswillbe.html  
  


Eries POV: 

It was the last bout of the day. The bell rang, then there was complete silence. The wind threw the dust from the arena into our faces. No one coughed; no one breathed.

The two opponents approached each other, bowed to us in the Royal Balcony, bowed to each other. They stared at each other for a long time. Then their swords clashed, once, twice and then one blade went flying and landed in the dirt. The audience rose as one with thunderous applause.

It was the most exciting tournament I had ever seen, and I'd been required to spectate at rather a lot of them. Even Millerna had been enthralled, but, as we discovered at the truly magnificent conclusion, for the wrong reasons. She climbed up onto her chair and yelled, "The little blonde girl won! Yeeeeeeeesss! Yippee! Yippee!!!"

"That's a boy, dear, " I said. I grabbed a handful of Millerna's frilly dress so she wouldn't fall over the rail, and I looked back down into the arena, at the top of the soon-to-be Caeli's yellow head. As he kneeled to be knighted, he weaved a little. He put his hand into the dirt to steady himself, and then rose to his feet. He looked exhausted, or maybe he was in shock.

"..........Oh. ........Are you _sure_?" My little sister didn't sound convinced.

"Yes. They announced his name. Allen Schezar."

"Awwwww," she said and sat back down.

"Sorry, Millerna. He's just a very, very pretty boy."

Marlene, on the other side of Millerna, sighed. "He sure is, " she said.

I stared at my older sister. Uh-oh. Not _again_! 

  
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Allen POV: 

I think hundreds of people shook my hand before I managed to slip away. My cheeks felt numb from holding a smile, my legs felt rubbery, most of the rest of me was just plain sore, but my hands really, really hurt.

I tried to relax my hands, but when I forced myself to unclench them, the cracks and blisters on my palms and fingers opened and bled through the dirt. Eeew. I allowed them to slip back into their comfortable and familiar sword-holding shape. I should wear gloves.

I walked aimlessly through the palace complex, always choosing whichever route had the least amount of people. Maybe I could find someplace to be alone.... but I wasn't so lucky. I walked down a dim alley between some big stone buildings, rounded a corner, ran smack into someone, and knocked him ass over teakettle. Oops. Shit. And oops again. Balgus doesn't much care for battlefield invective. _Think pure thoughts. Right..._

"Sorry," I said and extended a sticky hand to the brown-haired boy sitting on the pavement before me. He took my hand and I pulled him up. He was a bit taller than me, and rather skinnier, with a pleasant smile.

He looked me over, too, from my dust-covered tunic, to the scuffed sword at my side. "Hi. Were you in the tournament?"

_Unbelievable. I've run into the only person in the whole palace complex who wasn't watching today._ "I won," I said. "I'm a Caeli." _Shit. Why did I tell him? Please don't shake my hand. It hurts._

He didn't shake my hand, probably because I'd hidden it behind my back.. "You _won_?!" he said. "You won the whole day?! Wow! Congratulations. You must have really wanted it!"

"Not really," I said before I could stop myself.

".....Oh, man! Hard luck, buddy. How old are you? Fourteen?"

"Age isn't a factor. They award it based on merit. .....I'm fifteen."

"That's not very fair. You don't really _have_ to accept it, do you?"

"Yes. I already did. I need the money. Family debts." _My family estate, my mother's doctor bills, an airship, a guymelef, lands and servants, and all of it traditionally entailed, unsellable. Born to it, I must pay._

"Oh. Well.... Uh.....Well, maybe you'll like being a Caeli knight?"

I couldn't think of anything to say to that. I just looked at him.

"Uh....... You want a beer? You wanna go steal a couple from the refectory?" he asked.

"I don't drink."

The brown-haired boy grinned at me mischievously. "You do now," he said.

"I don't steal." ..._Anymore. I'm an honourable Caeli knight now!  
I'm not a bandit. No, really! I'm not! Really!_

He shrugged. "Well, I'll do that part. .....You've gone all white. I suppose you don't eat, either. Did you have lunch today?"

"I don't remember." _Which was a lie. The memories always come back after I have to fight, or whenever I'm too tired to push the memories away. Whenever I shut my eyes...Fighting at Balgus's side, hundreds of people dying at my feet, my hands are soaked in blood. ....I should wear gloves._

"No lunch? Sheeeeesh! Come on." The brown-haired boy herded me down the alley and I went. 

  
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More Allen POV: 

Having led me to the best situation he could get for me, Balgus went back to Fanelia and I was left to finish up my training as a Caeli knight. The other Caeli knights couldn't fault my swordplay, but it soon became clear that I knew absolutely nothing about anything else. How to provision a garrison, weapons of mass destruction, tactics, strategy, piloting ships and guymelef? I knew nada. The Caeli enrolled me in the Pallas University military officer's training program. All the other students were older than me and had invested years of their lives in the program and weren't amused that I was promoted ahead of them. They were even less amused when I was appointed teacher's assistant to the fencing master. Eeeeg. I did not make friends.

But Dryden, the kid who hadn't seen me earn Caeli, was going to the University, too. We didn't have any classes in common, he wasn't in the military program, but he was the only other kid my age who ate in the refectory, too. It was inevitable; we sat together, the 15 year old untouchables. Actually, Dryden dormed with the regular students and people waved to him and talked to him sometimes, so I guess he wasn't detested the way I was by the military students.

None of the Caeli would really associate with me either. They were all at least twice my age and I had no idea what to say to them. I think they tried, though. ....I'm sure that was supposed to have been some sort of bonding ritual...

Dryden had finally showed up in the refectory. He dropped his tray on my table, did a double take, and reached out to seize my radically shortened hair. "Oh, my god! Did they haze you?"

"Sheesh! It's just a haircut. It'll grow back. It's not like they gang-raped me and hung me naked from the flagpole. Let go of my hair!"

"So they _did_ haze you," said Dryden as he sat down opposite me.

"Look, I kind of like it, so leave off already!"

"....Right. Sorry. Nevermind."

"Fucking civilians. Sheeesh," I said.

"Oh-_KAY_! I get the _idea_. I'll _drop_ it." Dryden gave me an innocent smile. "Hi. How are you today?"

"Fine. You?"

"Peachy. And speaking of peaches, what else did they cut?" And he bent over and looked under the table at me.

"You jerk!" I leaped over the table, grabbed him around the neck. "Noogies for you!" I said and ground my knuckles into his head. He howled and laughed and attempted to get away.

"Schezar!" _Eeek!_ I let go of Dryden and jumped to attention. It was my commanding officer. My_ Caeli_ commanding officer. "_What_ are you doing?'" he snapped.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Dryden beat me to it. "We were just playing, sir," he said.

"Playing?" The Knight looked back and forth from Dryden to me and then he rolled his eyes and walked away.

_Aw, shit!_ _What a way to make an impression._... I walked back to my seat with the dignity befitting a Caeli Knight, sat down and started eating. Dryden watched me quietly at first, but giggles escaped from him. I shook my head at him. "Playing," I said. "Thanks so much."

"It was all I could think of," he said and shrugged. "Could have been worse."

I smiled and nodded.  
_Could have been worse. That just about describes my whole life. At least I've got plenty of room for improvement._

  
  
Read the illustrated version of this fic!  
http://www.lizardlounge.com/Natasha/Didodikali/boyswillbe/01boyswillbe.html  



	2. .... In the Details

Chapter Two  
**God is in the details.**  
A friend is someone  
who has no immediate plans  
for your self-improvement.  
  
Read the illustrated version of this fic!  
http://www.lizardlounge.com/Natasha/Didodikali/boyswillbe/02boyswillbe.html  
  


Allen POV: 

It is an honour to spar with a Caeli knight. Today I had the honour of sparring with _all_ of them one after the other. The first four bouts I lost, but I didn't psyche and I kept fighting. The second four bouts were all very long fights and each one was eventually called a draw.

The last three bouts....I won, which was suspicious. I didn't make any mistakes, which was odd considering how tired I was by then, and the three Caelis were all fresh. Were they letting me win?

I'm used to being in a real battle and actually trying to kill people, which is totally different from being in a tournament bout with a fake sword. But this....I _hate_ having to spar with a live blade. I never feel in control.

They were setting me up. They gave me openings, not to see if I would take them, they knew I would, but to see _how_ I would take them. They just wanted to see me go for a disarm rather than a kill, to watch me tap them with the flat of the blade.

So.....I was in control? It was easy enough to tell they were losing to me on purpose. The bouts that had ended in draws, that had probably been intentional, too. What exactly were they testing? _I'm confused.....and hungry._

  
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Allen POV: 

"Ya done yet?" I peered over Dryden's carrel in the university library.

"Almost," he said, but he didn't look up from his book.

I gave him thirty seconds. "........How about now? Ya done yet?"

He smirked and started putting away his books. "Yeah. Okay"

"What are you studying anyway"

"Haven't picked any one thing yet. History, law, languages. Dad's making me take business, too." He stuffed books and notebooks into the carrel's cabinet and turned the key.

"So how did you manage to get in so young anyway?"

He practically growled at me. "My Dad's paying for it, but I passed the entrance exams. I _earned_ my own way in if that's what you're asking, and I _don't_ buy my grades!"

_Whoa. Who dropped a bug in his tea? _"Huh?" I said. "I wasn't......uh....What does your dad do?"

".....You don't? ...um...He...uh....I guess you could say he does consulting for the palace. Trade, law, business consulting.....Stuff."

"Oh. Whatever. Sounds boring. So, **can we eat yet**?"

Dryden grinned broadly at me then. "Yah. Sure."

I asked around later and found out that Dryden's dad was King Aston's favorite advisor as well as the richest man in the country, but by then I'd already been hanging out with Dryden for a while and I couldn't bring myself to hold that against him.

As we walked to the refectory through the library, we saw a little girl trying to climb up the stacks to get a book, but her little pink slippers were true to their name and kept slipping. Dryden pulled the book out and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said and she promptly cracked open the book and flipped through it. Dryden and I looked over her shoulder. It had a lot of very colourful pictures of nasty diseases.

"Eeeew! Are you sure you wanted _that_ book?" I said.

"Yes! Bwahahahaha!" She tucked it under her arm and skittered around the corner.

I turned to Dryden. "That looked like a very icky book for such a small girl. Are you sure you should have given it to her?"

"Um. She sure seemed happy to have it. How odd."

"Bet you get in trouble for that. She'll have nightmares."

"Lighten up, Allen! Sheesh!" Dryden shoved me towards the refectory. 

  
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Eries POV: 

Marlene, Millerna and I stood out outside on the balcony and watched the Duke of Fried's ship take off. Or rather, Millerna watched the ship take off, Marlene stared abstractedly into the distance and I watched Marlene. "He's a very nice man," I said to her.

"Yes, he is," she agreed.

"He loves you, too."

"Yes, I know," she said. It was true; anyone could tell that Mahad loved Marlene. Marlene has always been Aston's favorite daughter, too, his pet, a butterfly held in a hand's cage. ...I wouldn't switch places with her for anything.

"You could always say no," I said.

"You know nothing about it. I have no choice." Marlene had grown up knowing about her betrothal. Mahad visited her a few times a year and Marlene was always very sweet to him, always very perfectly behaved. Always.

And they call _me_ the ice princess.

"There are always choices," I said, but she turned silently and went back into the palace, leaving Millerna with me. I looked up at Mahad's airship as it disappeared over the horizon. Hmmm.....

Millerna tugged my hand. "Can we go in?" Millerna was mostly left in my charge these days and I gave her a free rein. We went in and Millerna curled up in a chair with her doll and an unfamiliar book.

"Did you steal another book from the library?" I asked her. "Give me the card in the back, I'll go get it stamped for you."

She handed up the card. I looked at it. Fatal Diseases 101. Oi. Whoever would have imagined that I'd turn out to be the normal one in the family. 

  
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Allen POV: 

The Caeli knights gave me this book by a famous and ancient warrior from the Mystic Moon. It's mostly common sense sword-fighting advice and descriptions of basic stances and cuts, but all with extravagant names full of metaphors about falling mountains and fluttering leaves and shit. It is, thank God, a very short book.

At the very end there's a 2 page biography about the famous warrior. He spent many years wandering and refusing to bathe. He got so good at the long sword that he found no challenge in it, so he switched over to a wooden practice sword so he could whack people to death instead of simply cutting them open. Then he retired and spent the rest of his life making ink-paintings of birds. .....Okaaaaay.

I flipped the book over and looked at the cover. It's called 'The Book of Five Rings' and there aren't any rings in it. _I think this thing really IS from the Mystic Moon because I'm utterly mystified. Why do all the other Caeli knights think this book is so cool? I don't get it!_

I looked over the table at Dryden who was bent over assiduously writing. _Maybe he's read this before._ "Hey, Dryden," I said.

"Yeah?" he said and looked up and at the same time knocked his ink bottle over onto some sheets he had already written on. "Aaagh! Aaaagh!" he said and threw blotting paper over them. Too late. They were smeared beyond readability.

"Nevermind," I said. I've seen him trip over invisible rucks in the carpet or over his own feet on hardwood, and no cup of juice or open bottle of ink is ever safe from his elbow. I opened up 'The Book of Five Rings' from the beginning and Dryden sighed, pulled out some fresh paper and started over.

Half an hour later Dryden's dad, Meiden, charged into the room. We were in the anteroom of Meiden's office and Dryden was working part-time for his dad. I hung out there because it was a quieter place to study than the dorms and I didn't have a library carrel.

"Where's my contract?" asked Meiden.

Dryden held up a freshly scribed sheaf of paper. "Hey, Dad, I don't know why you're doing this deal; no way is that much money for that much land a good trade."

Meiden's eyebrows disappeared under his hat. He bent and scanned the contract. "Fool of a son. They measure in hectares not acres."

"........Oh. Well, I suppose I'd better specify that in the contract, eh?"

"Duh. Rewrite that part. And that. And that. Sheeeesh, what crappy penmanship! I dunno why I pay you. You should be doing this for free as an internship."

That sounds like an obnoxious thing to say to one's son, but Meiden had his hand on Dryden's shoulder as he said it. I looked away. Dryden certainly didn't sound offended. "Dad, no one else would work for you. I could make more money in less hours selling ice-cream to pretty girls in the park. You're an awful boss."

"Yeah, yeah. Write fast. I'll need this within the hour." Meiden waved and left.

Dryden shook out his wrist and pulled out more paper. I went back to my useless mystical book. Twenty minutes later Dryden left to deliver the finished contract. Then he returned and started on one of his reading assignments. An hour after that, Meiden returned. "Are you two still here? It's a Friday night! Get out of here!" He shooed us out of the room.

Dryden and I stood outside in the hall. "You got any plans for tonight?" he asked.

"I'm supposed to go pick up my new uniform," I said.

"Well, after that. Wanna go to a dance? There'll be girls!"

"Sure!" 

  
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Allen POV: 

The palace dance was semiformal line-dancing, so I'd just worn my new uniform to it, since everything else I had had been in too many battles. I danced with a different girl for each dance of the first set and then, when the musicians took a break, Dryden pulled me away down the hall for a break of our own.

The palace bathrooms are marble and gold, enormous, echoey, and not equipped with coathooks. By the time I'd removed my uniform's skirt thingie and my swordbelt and hung them over a stall door, Dryden was relieving himself at one of the urinals. By the time I was standing next to him and undoing the front of my uniform, Dryden was buttoning his pants back up.

I unbuttoned the friggin' shoulder-straps and Dryden stared at me. _How do I end up with friends like this?_ He looked horrified. "That thing doesn't have a fly?" he asked.

"Nope," I said. _Oh, yeah. One word answers. Strong, silent type. That's me. Yah._

"Who designed it? Girls on drugs? And what is IN those sleeves?"

"You shut up. It's not like I picked this thing out myself, said 'Oh, boy, a jumpsuit with poofy sleeves, a pink tie and a skirt, I'll wear it for the rest of my life, oh, boy!'"

"Oh.....Sorry. Skirt keep your butt warm , at least?"

"Yup."

He was still staring at my uniform. "Can I ask you something?" he said.

"What?"

"Are you wearing socks or do those pants have little blue feet on them?"

"I'm wearing socks! Sheesh!"

"Sorry. Just had to ask. ..........Can I _seeeeee_ the socks?"

"Don't you believe me?" I whined.  
_No, I didn't whine. Rough, tough Caeli knights do NOT whine._

"Not really. It doesn't have a fly!"

"Back to that, are we," I said.

"Take your boot off for me."

"If I do, it'll be to cram it up your-"

"-Okay, okay, nevermind!"

"Stop watching me while I pee!"

Dryden turned his back to me. "Arright, arright!"

I stood before the urinal, with my new uniform peeled down around me like some tropical fruit. Nothing happened. "Dammit. Now I don't have to go."

Dryden threw his hands up in the air. "I'm leaving. Meet ya out in the hall, buddy."

"Right." I said. I heard the bathroom door thump closed. I turned back to the urinal. _I am Caeli knight, utterly invincible!_ ...._Oh yeah. Much better._

_I am so relieved._

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

Dryden was waiting for me in the hall and he stopped me before we went back into the ballroom. "Take off the tie, Allen."

"Why?"

"You realize don't you, that the girls will be compelled to be at least as formal as the most formal man in the group."

"They will?"

"Yes. And after dancing one set they'll be all hot. And I want to watch them peel those long white gloves off."

"What for?"

"Whadya mean, what for?"

"Oh! Right."

"Oh, indeed. Long elegant fingers, bare arms, pink lips. We'll make them laugh and then we'll look down their dresses."

"We will?"

"Well, **I** will. I dunno what you like. Maybe you like girls who put their hair up so you can sit behind them and tickle the tender backs of their necks. How the hell would I know what _you_ like. _I_ like looking down their dresses."

"Uh....That's not very gentlemanly!"

"Hey, I'm not touching. I'm just looking."

".....I guess." 

  
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Dryden POV: 

I think I was 13 when my Dad took me to court with him for the first time. Some people hit puberty and _some_ people hit puberty like a brick wall while their Dad is watching and laughing behind a paternal hand.

"Daaaaad! She had ...glitter painted on her....I mean, down the front of her dress!"

With his tongue in his cheek, he still somehow clearly said, "They'll let you look at their breasts longer if you look into their eyes from time to time."

Girl-watching is the only sport that my Dad and I both like. He was hoping for football, but he'll take what he can get. He had fun informing me of the finer points of the sport and I can't say that I didn't memorize every word that he said.

I got un-shy real fast. 

  
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Allen POV: 

Dryden constantly trod on all the girls' feet, but he apologized so sincerely that none of them seemed to mind very much.

Well. Except for Eries, the Crown princess, who avoided him. I got to dance with her three times. She was utterly beautiful, with perfect carriage. She never put a foot wrong, she anticipated every lead. Some other guy managed to snag the last dance with her and I was quite disappointed when the dance was over.

Dryden found me as everyone started dispersing, said, "Watch this," and dragged me over to the people lined up by the door.

_Watch this? Uh-oh._ I looked at him suspiciously. "You're a bit of a wanker, aren't you."

"You catch on quick. Now shush, here she comes." Dryden pushed his way to the front and waved at Eries as she went by. "Bye, Princess. We still on for our date next week?"

Oh, sheesh! At that moment I wanted more than anything to not be standing next to him. I had the uncomfortable feeling that I had fallen in with a bad crowd.

The Crown Princess turned, snarled ferociously at him and snapped, "Yes." She stalked out of the room, followed by the other ladies.

_What! Yes?_ _Yes?_

Dryden laughed at my hanging jaw. "It's not at all what it sounds like," he said. "You wanna come with? The more the merrier."

"Oh, yeah. I am **not** missing this." 

  
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Eries POV: 

I sat on the roof, with the wind in my hair, over my bare toes. The view is great up here, beautiful and so private. I love running around on the roof. Too bad the King found out. Too bad it's now forbidden.

_I'm half-catgirl, it's safe, it's easy!_ is what I'd told the King that morning. He'd glared at me. _No more or Millerna's pony goes._ I couldn't believe it. He was serious.

I suppose it _is_ a bad idea for the Crown princess to risk breaking her neck every afternoon. Just as it is a good idea for Marlene to marry Mahad.....Grrrrr.

He's using my love of my sister to control me. What would he do if I called his bluff? Is this a pattern? ....What is he holding over Marlene's head?

I probably shouldn't run around on the roof anymore. At least not during the day...

The clock-tower struck the hour. I swung into the window, pulled my dancing slippers out of my pocket and put them on. Dryden was waiting by the recordplayer and he bowed to me. He'd brought along the new Caeli, who had been watching the door, not the window, and so had not seen me come in. He jumped when I said hello.

Nominally, I'm supposed to be practicing courtly behavior while Dryden gets some remedial dance practice in. In truth......

_I can't believe this clown is on the short-list of potential husbands for me. No way in hell am I gonna get herded into this._ I don't think he likes dancing with me, either. I screeched at him, "I know you know these steps! Stop looking at your feet!"

"But-"

"-And for God's sake, will you _please_ lead?"

"Oh, sure, what the hell. Ice queen like you won't even feel it when I step on your toes, eh?"

I treated him to an evil stare. He's supposed to practice being courtly, too.

"...........Sorry."

"Just shut up and dance," I said.

He shut up and sometimes attempted to lead and I dodged his feet. "You're a lovely dancer, Eries," he said, attempting to practice courtly behavior.

"Shut it, you friggin' creep." _Do I look like I'm susceptible to empty flattery?_

Dryden is not susceptible to empty insults. He said, "Oooooh, such language! My, what an exciting Princess you are!"

_Grrrr._ But he shut up and paid attention and did not step on my feet or trip over his own. We circled the room and my thoughts returned to my earlier interview with the King, until Dryden said, "Uh....your nails are...really sharp. Could you...uh...please?"

_Ooops._ I loosened my iron grip on his hands. "......Sorry."

"Rough day?" he asked me.

I sighed._ I suppose anyone could tell. _"Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, what would make it better?"

_I want to run up and down over the roof._ "Mind-numbing physical activity."

"Mind-numbing, eh? ....Ya wanna dance with Allen?"

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "Does he know you talk about him like that? Some friend you are!"

"I am, actually, an excellent friend. Hey, Allen! Come here!"

  
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Allen POV: 

I danced a few dances with Eries and then she went to pick out some new records. I walked over to Dryden who was happily engrossed in the military textbook I'd brought.

I poked him and he jumped. "Allen! What the hell? Go have another dance with Eries!"

"Well, I would, but I've got to go to that lecture on strategy and tactics." I held out my hand for the book. He didn't give it to me.

".....Trade with ya?"

"You'd rather go to my lecture for me than dance with a Princess? Are you kidding?"

"Yeah, right! Get me the hell out of here! She's all yours, buddy."

"But...why?"

"Allen, nothing I can say interests her. She would have us dance in perfect silence."

"....What's wrong with that?"

Dryden waved his arms in inarticulate circles. Finally he said, " Nothing, I suppose. But wouldn't you rather have a girl you can talk to?"

"About what?"

"Nothing! Everything! Stuff! Oh, forget it. Give me your notebook, I'll take notes for you."

"Cool! Thanks!" _Wow, what a great friend!_

____________________  
  
Read the illustrated version of this fic!  
http://www.lizardlounge.com/Natasha/Didodikali/boyswillbe/02boyswillbe.html  



	3. ... Doomed, I Say

Chapter Three  
**Those who don't remember history  
are doomed to repeat it. Doomed, I say.**  
A kiss is just a kiss.  
Uh-oh.  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

I stepped into Meiden's anteroom. Dryden was ...playing chess with a small boy. "Hi. Whatcha up to?" I asked.

"Working," he said.

"Ya don't say."

"No, truly, I am. Dad asked me to...um..._entertain_ Van here."

"Hi, Van." I looked down at the messy gameboard between them. "Who's winning?"

"He is," said Dryden. "Six times in a row. He's a king. From Fanelia."

"Oh. Right. Gotcha."

"Indeed." Dryden winked at me.

"Just what does your job-" I stared at the fuzzy orange creature in his lap. It blinked at me and turned over, presenting me with its... "-entail?"

"I dunno," said Dryden. "Evidently I'll do just about anything for pocket money. It's way better than filing anyway."

The little boy frowned suspiciously at our conversation. "I'm not a king, I'm a prince, and are you _letting_ me win?"

Dryden looked back at Van. "Let me ask you this first. If I beat _you_ six times in a row, would you cut my head off?"

"Yes, of course," said Van.

"Ah. Then I'm not letting you win. You're just naturally brilliant at this."

".....You're lying." The little boy's eyes flashed angrily.

"Now, why would you think that," asked Dryden innocently.

"I'll cut your head off if you lie, too."

I interrupted them. "See you at dinner later, Dryden?"

"Yeah, sure. If I'm still alive by then." 

  
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Allen POV: 

Dryden was waiting for me in front of the refectory, looking out over the wall at the commons. He didn't hear me when I said hello. I nudged him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Languages within languages. What I want to _do_ when I grow up."

"Eh?"

"Did you know there are hundreds of dialects within Asturia?" he said.

"What?"

Yeah. Even on one airship, the captain, the navigator, the crew, the chef, they all use a massively different vocabulary. And depending on what words you use and how, the meaning changes."

"Well, duh."

"I mean....like, I have a collection of history books, each one ten years older than the next, going back 150 years, and if you read just the little bit about the founding of Pallas in each one, you can see that the words, the emphasis, the focus and the details of the events change over time as you watch."

"History gets rewritten?"

"As you said, _well, duh_."

"So why is that important? What do you want to be?" I said.

"I don't know what I want to _be_."

God, this son of a lawyer sometimes insists upon such precision of language. "Well, what do you want to _do?_"

"Get perspective. Find ultimate truth. .......What do you want to do?"

"Well, I was gonna say I wanted to be one of the best warriors in the world, but after that speech about ultimate truth, it just sounds stupid."

"Allen, from what I've read, we're just taking different roads to the same place."

"......Oh. ....Well, you wanna go eat then? The refectory's just down the hall. We could at least take the same road tonight."

"Yeah, sure," he said and we went inside.

"So what do you _really_ want to be when you grow up?" I asked him.

"An autodidactic philologist."

I stared at him. _He is such a geek. I don't know why I even bother asking._ "Food. This way," I said. 

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

It's an honour.

Although the Caeli change the order of their lineup, it's always the same. I lose the first four bouts, fight the next four out endlessly to a draw, and ....then they let me win the last three. The same thing, every time. I know the outcome of every bout.

It's an honour. No, really, it is. Ugh.

_My morale is slipping. I have to force myself to keep doing my best, all the while wondering what's the point._

_I know they kind of like me, for all that we have so little to talk about. They wouldn't be doing this to me if there wasn't a reason. What are they showing me, that I'm not seeing?_

I looked again at my current opponent. He was poised waiting for my advance. His stance was powerful, flexible and also...elegant. His ridiculous Caeli uniform fluttered in the breeze.

Oh.

It's art.

I couldn't help myself, I smiled. I grinned at him and matched his elegance. The other Caeli smiled back. And then he charged.

He didn't let me win. He beat the crap out of me. And very artistically, too. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my entire life.

There was just one woman in the stands, up in the Royal Box. She was beautiful with long blonde hair and a violet dress and she was clapping. Our entire company bowed to her as one. Ehehehe! 

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

You only have to fight one battle in low cut shoes to realize that blood feels nasty between the toes. Sure, boots are hot and sweaty, but they are less disgusting to clean after. Somehow I'd lost my boots during the course of this battle. Very odd.

And, though I had recently started guymelef training, now I found myself without a guymelef but attempting to hold my own against several warriors in guymelefs anyway. Mostly I was dodging. But I'm really good at dodging, so I was still alive and unhurt. I kept dodging.

And then I was falling. I hit the ground hard, but I retained my grip on my sword and then I...I...hey! It was a dream!

Gee, maybe the fact that I was fighting all those guymelefs in the nude should have tipped me off. Why the hell can't I have some nice hot and sexy dreams like ordinary guys? Aaaaaargh! 

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

I hate ironing, and I especially hate trying to iron my intricate uniform. It's completely worth it to hang everything up after washing before it all can wrinkle. I besieged the mound of laundry with coathangers while Dryden, waiting for me to finish up, amused himself by looking through my textbooks. "Managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Is _this_ on the Caeli syllabus?" he asked.

Oops. I had not meant to leave that one out. "Nah. Just something I happened to pick up at the library."

"Just happened? ...You feeling okay, buddy?"

"Fine," I said. _Now, Allen, beating the shit out of nosy little parkers is NOT very Caeli._

"Uh....right." He dropped the book as if it were on fire. "So...ready to party?"

"Lemme just get a clean shirt."

"I'd recommend pants, too, unless you want to get even more popular."

"You so funny. Ohoho." I rummaged through the pile on the bed. "Hey, look, Dryden! Caeli socks!"

"Ah, a rare sight. I am privileged indeed." 

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

It was only a short walk to Tansy's, Dryden's cousin's house. The girl who popped open the door before we could even ring the bell was short and voluptuous, but she had Dryden's colouring and his grin. "Hey!" she said, "You're empty-handed! You're supposed to bring me a present!" Definitely the birthday girl herself. She put her arm across the doorway and attempted to look fierce. She did not succeed.

"Uh...." Dryden was momentarily nonplused, but then he grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me forward. "Look! I brought you a Caeli knight! Isn't he lovely? C'mon, let us in. What flavor cake you got?"

"Lemon and coconut. .....All right. Come on in. Wow. My very own Caeli knight. Kewwwwwwwl." I stepped under the lintel and Tansy watched me with half-lidded eyes and smiled. Eeep!

The party was loud and happy, but I could not remember the names of any of the people Tansy introduced me to and seemed to have no intention of letting me hide inconspicuously in a corner. She dragged me into the center of another group of people. "Do you like parlour games?" she asked me.

Tansy's hot gaze made me so flustered that I could not think at all. "Like what?" I said, "Spin the bottle?"

"I was thinking charades, but spin the bottle will be just marvelous! You hear that, girls! The Caeli wants to play spin the bottle!"

_Nooooo!_ "I didn't say that!" But it was too late. I was instantly surrounded by girls with big shiny, woogly eyes. Eeek! And some very happy looking boys. But, standing behind the crowd, I saw....Eries. The Crown Princess was at this party! Oh!

Tansy put an empty bottle in my hand and I did not protest, for I can make a sword do almost whatever I want. Perhaps a bottle would be just as obedient in my hands.

It was.

"I never said _I_ was playing," said Eries, with a warning look. I approached her anyway, and kissed her hand quickly, let it go and looked back at her face. She was wearing this tiny little smile....

Tansy was quite disappointed. "Well, that wasn't very exciting. Are you actually going to kiss anyone, Eries? No? Well, at least spin the bottle so someone _else_ can start this game properly."

Eries didn't even get up from the couch where she sat. She nudged the bottle with her toe. It spun around once, pointed right back at Eries and went one more inch around to point at Dryden who was sitting on the floor by Eries's feet. He looked up at her. She shrugged. Dryden didn't get up either, he kissed Eries's hand from his seat on the floor, then leaned over and spun the bottle.

"Oh, no," said Tansy, looking down at the bottle that pointed straight to her, "This game isn't working out at all!"

"Come here, cousin," said Dryden.

"No, thank you!"

Dryden stood up and stepped across the circle. "You have to kiss me!"

"No, I don't!" Tansy leaped over the coffee table and galloped around the room. She was pretty fast at the corners, but she had no chance at all on the straight-away, I've seen Dryden run.

"Yes, you do! Come back here, my leettle skunk cabbage!" Dryden was quite obviously taking his time about catching her. Maybe he was watching her bounce up and down as she ran; everyone else was. Oh, sheesh!

"Eehehehehe! But we're cousins!" Tansy careened down the hall.

"Do I look like I care?" yelled Dryden and he chased her into the kitchen.

We heard squeals, thumps, loud smacking sounds, and shrieking giggles. It was loud enough that Tansy's parents emerged and made everyone sit down and eat cake. Thank god! 

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

The cobbled streets were more and more deserted as Dryden and I made our way home after the party, but not so dark that I couldn't see his smirk. "You like Eries, huh?" he said. Eries had left in style in a carriage with guards and ladies in waiting.

_That little smile..._

"Um........I don't know. She's........um........." I changed the subject. "You didn't actually kiss your cousin, did you?"

He shook his head. "Nah. She wouldn't let me."

"Oh."

"You ever kissed a girl?"

"No. What's it like?" I asked.

"I don't know yet either. None of them will let me kiss them. I figure they can tell I'm a magnificent kisser and they don't want to risk it."

"Good lord! Where do you get such gall?"

"I just call it like I see it," he said and grinned hugely.

"If a swordsman were to be so boastful of untested skills, someone would challenge him to a duel and cut him down a peg."

He laughed. "I'll take you on any day, Allen."

"Eh?"

"I bet I'm a much better kisser than you. Challenge away," he said.

"Well, how in the world can we test that when no girls will kiss us?"

"....Well, how about I kiss you and you see what you think," he said.

"Eeeeeeew! No way!" I said.

"Ya chicken? Buc, buc, buc buc!"

I knew his teasing was silly, but I still responded to it. "I am _not_ chicken!"

"Then stand and deliver, buddy." He grabbed me, swung me around and glomped me.

I leaned back away from him. "This is stupid. And _icky!_" I said.

"Now, now. If you were kissing Eries would you stand there like a pole? I wouldn't."

"Uh.............." No one had put their arms around me like this since... before my mother died.

Dryden leaned his cheek against mine. "Imagine Eries, her pretty silver hair and her perfect porcelain skin. ....What colour are her eyes?"

I shut my own eyes, trying to remember. I had held her in my arms, danced with her and looked into her eyes... "They change. Mostly grey blue," I said.

"Okay. Grey blue. Imagine your arms around her..."

And....my arms _were_ around her, her warm breath was on my cheek, her petal-pink lips parted... 

  
____________________  
  


Dryden POV: 

It was a very lovely kiss, but it was quite evident that Allen had completely forgotten himself, so I thought we should stop. I leaned back a bit, but Allen stepped forward, pressing his leg between mine. I leaned back a bit more and he stood on tiptoe.

_Wow. He's just not letting me break this kiss. Okay, whatever. May as well enjoy it._

I hugged him tighter and he sucked on my tongue and moaned into my mouth. Yum! His hand slowly slid down my back...

_Good heavens! I do believe he's going to feel me up! Whee! I am SO winning this bet!_

  
____________________  
  


Allen POV: 

My knees were trembling. I clamped one arm around her waist and my other hand traveled up her back into her ....shoulder length curls? Oh no! I was sucking on Dryden's tongue! It was a nightmare, but I wasn't asleep. "Bleah!" I said and leaped away.

"I think I win," he said.

"I think you're disgusting!" I said.

"Yeah, but I still win. Took you rather a long time to remember to go 'ack, ack, spittooie.' I'm a good kisser, aren't I."

"Uh......."

Dryden grinned maniacally and leaned closer. "Ya need a rematch?"

"You win, you win! You kiss great, just get your tongue the hell away from me! Eeeeeeew!"

"Wahahahahahaha!" He laughed at me on and off all the way home, and then as we entered the palace, said, "You _like_ Eries."

".......um...."

"Allen and Eries sitting in a tree-"

"-Will you SHUT UP!" 

  
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	4. Nervous in the Service

Chapter Four  
**Nervous in the Service**  
Life shrinks or expands  
in proportion to one's courage.  
~Anais Nin 

____________________  


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Allen POV: 

I stopped by the mailroom before I walked up to the boys dorms. Dryden was out in the hall with Gadeth, his floor's Resident Advisor, who was pulling chaperone duty while Dryden talked to a girl.

The girl was provocatively dressed, insistent and familiar. Tansy, Dryden's cousin. "Think how much money we would make!" she said.

"I'm thinking we would be sued for creating a monopoly in every industry we touched. Think years of annoying lawsuits, think assassination attempts, think never having any peace!"

"Aaaaaw!"

Dryden wriggled away from her. "I don't think so. Not that you're not a lovely girl, but we are too much alike. And we're _cousins_!"

"Oho! You've got bigger plans, eh?"

"No way! I-"

"-Uh-huh. If you're throwing me over, it goddamn better be for a princess," said Tansy.

Gadeth looked back and forth from Tansy to Dryden, clearly loving chaperone duty today.

"Er...Riiiiight," said Dryden.

"So how many favors can I call in when you're King?"

"Tansy! Sheesh! Will you leave off already?!"

Tansy sighed discontentedly. "Cousin, I do believe you led me on."

"Uh... Did I? Ooopsie. So sorry."

"Alas, indeed" She reached up and patted him on the cheek. "See you around, kid."

Dryden, Gadeth and I watched her rear rotate its way down the long hall. "You said no to that? Are you sure you're not gay?" asked Gadeth.

"Do you think they practice walking like that or does it just come natural?" I said.

"Yeah, yeah, my cousin's gorgeous. Big whoop," said Dryden sourly.

Gadeth leaned over and whispered, "You should have kissed her goodbye at least. A big wet one. She would have done it."

Dryden bit his lip. "Fucking hell. You're right."

Tansy waved at us from the end of the hall and then disappeared around the corner. Gadeth smirked. "Too late now. Maybe next time."

"Aaaagh!" Dryden pulled me into his room and shut the door on Gadeth's grin. "So how was _your_ day?" he said.

"You don't like her, huh."

"No, no, she's a great girl. Brilliant, ambitious, rich... dangerous as a basket full of snakes, but yeah, a great girl. She'll be helleva tough business competition later, but that's better than marrying her. Oi. C'mon! Tell me something that's not about girls. Anything. Please!"

....

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	5. Water to Whine

Chapter Five  
**Water to Whine**  
I've been rich and I've been poor,  
I've been sick and well and at wit's end,  
But all I've ever really needed,  
Is just one real true friend.  
____________________  
  
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Allen POV: 

I turned my options over in my head, but there really was no choice and I had to tell someone or implode. My classmates and acquaintances would just spread the gossip. I couldn't tell the other Caeli knights; they wouldn't rat on me, but they'd think I was an idiot. And there no way I could ever tell Eries....eeeeg!

I found Dryden reading a book over breakfast in the refectory. _How did I end up with such a geeky friend? And this is all his fault anyway!_ He's the only one I know who's smart enough to keep his mouth shut, though. He looked up when I walked over. "Hi, Allen!" he said.

It was early yet, there weren't many people up, we had plenty of privacy. I sat down next to him. "Um....I gotta tell you something," I said. And then, in fits and starts, I gave him a fractured account of how I'd found Marlene in the alcove the day before and she'd pulled my clothes off and... and... and...

Dryden definitely believed my story. His eyes were wide and admiring. "Wow. That is amazing!"

I buried my head in my hands. "No! Aaaaaaaagh! I don't know why I thought you'd understand!"

"Erm......I apologize if I'm not being properly sympathetic, but ....sheesh, Allen! I'd give my right arm to get me some princess booty. Why exactly am I supposed to feel sorry for you now?"

_Eh?_ "You mean you did before?" I asked.

"Duh. No." He looked at me questioningly. "Tell me again. ...Marlene liked it right?"

"Um......I.....don't know. It was weird. And ALL her idea."

Dryden seemed confused. "Oh. ...So....it didn't feel good?"

"I ...guess it did. Sorta." _She scared me._

He put his hand on my shoulder. "Well, don't get so upset; I'm sure it'll be better next time."

"What next time?! She's gone! Married! Left this morning for the Fried ceremony." _ Yay, she's gone! Thank God!_

"Well, next time with some other girl, right? Marlene was just having a bit of an adventure before she got married. Don't worry about it."

I looked up at him. "...You think?"

"Sure! File it under _Well, wasn't that interesting_, stop worrying your pretty yellow head, and go back to your monk-like existence. Or not. Whatever."

I don't think Dryden really understood what I was trying to tell him, but it was a relief to have told him anyway. And he didn't seem to think any different of me, which was reassuring.

"Soooo?" Dryden looked into my face hopefully.

"What?"

"Was it fun?" he asked.

"Was _what_ fun?"

"Oh, come on. Suppose you tried it with a nice girl who _wasn't_ freaking out over something. Would it be fun then?"

"Probably. How the hell would _I_ know?" I said bitterly.

"Allen! Please!"

I relented and told him what he wanted to hear. "Okay, okay. It's fun. ...You'll love it."

"Really?" he said.

"Yeah. Eat your bread and water, you doofus."

Dryden looked down at his toast and tea. "I can't. I'm too excited! Oh, boy!" He clasped his hands together and looked upwards with adoring enthusiastic speculation. _He's such an idiot._ I laughed, as he intended. He grinned at me. "Don't worry. It will be okay," he said.

I smiled weakly back at him. Dryden is always an optimist, but he's not always right.

  
____________________  
  


Eries POV: 

When Allen and Dryden walked into the studio, I yelled "BOO!" from my perch on top of the door. I do so love watching people jump out of their skins.

It's a trick I've played on Dryden before and he was not surprised but Allen's eyes were as big as saucers. I jumped down to the floor and put my shoes back on.

"You should be more ladylike!'" said Allen and he scowled at me and stalked silently off to set up the record player. _He didn't even crack a smile!_

"What is his problem?" I asked Dryden.

"I really couldn't say. He seems to have stuff on his mind."

Really couldn't say? That's not at all the same as _I don't know_. "Well, he's being an absolute maggot!"

Dryden looked over at Allen with concern in his eyes. "Go easy on him, Eries. I think being a Caeli is more difficult than it looks."

I was outraged. "And being a Princess is all sweetness and light? At least I don't throw snarkus fits like-"

Dryden was desperately trying not to laugh in my face. ........_Oh. _........._I **do** throw fits_...... I crossed my arms and huffed, "Shut up, Dryden."

  
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	6. String or Nothing

Chapter Six  
**String or Nothing**  
_I'm in love with an Asturian boy; oh, he's my best friend.  
I love his seditious smile that hides the pain within.  
~Dead Can Dance*_

____________________  
  


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Dryden POV: 

Allen dropped his sword on the bench next to me and I handed him his bottle of water. "You looked good out there today," I said.

He wiped salt water off his face and poured fresh water down his throat. "Nah. I'm a fake," he said.

"What do you mean?" I said, surprised.

"It's odd. ..I was a ...better?....more vicious?.. fighter under Balgus."

I'd been watching Allen's practice and I couldn't believe what he was saying. I mean, he was _good!_ "You're kidding! Are you saying you've become slower, weaker and less skilled?"

"No, no. It's just..." He looked out at the sparring knights. "That's a formal duel. That's not what it's like in a real battle."

Usually if I asked Allen anything about his family or about his past he'd change the subject. This was the first time he'd ever brought it up himself. I looked out at the field and said, "So...what's it like?"

"It's like being surrounded by people who want to assassinate you. There is no practicing like this, just killing. I didn't stand there crossing my blade honorably with opponents. If someone was stronger than me or more skilled, then I'd run. Most of the time I teamed with Balgus and we'd overwhelm people with numbers. It wasn't fair or pretty and all we wanted to do was win. My speciality was climbing over piles of corpses quickly to stab people in the back. I'm good at keeping my footing over uncertain ground. We waded in blood."

I took a deep breath and said calmly, "Oh."

And, miraculously, Allen kept talking. "I won the Caeli tournament by disarming people. Balgus had to teach me how to do that, how to fight the traditional genteel Asturian way. On the other hand, he did not have to teach me how to stab people in the back, chop their arms off or slit their throats. That came quite naturally for me. I'm a very good killer; I've had to work quite hard to be a knight." Allen nodded his head at the knights out on the field. "They think my instincts are crude. Sometimes I feel like an atheist in church here."

"Can't you be both?" I asked.

Allen looked down at me, surprised. "What?" he said.

"Well, be a Caeli when it's appropriate and do whatever you have to to survive when that's appropriate. Learning one skill doesn't mean you have to lose another. ...You like being a Caeli, these formal practices and duels, right?"

Allen smiled. "Yes. This is much more fun than lopping off heads."

"Well, there you go."

There was a comfortable silence and then Allen spoke again. "You know Marlene's coming back," he said.

"Is she?" I said, but of course I knew; the whole city had been preparing for weeks. Having had one ceremony in Fried, now she was to have another in Asturia. 

"Yes," said Allen, "And the Caeli's have to take part in it. Honour guard or some such."

"I'll bet the food will be great," I said.

"True. ...You gonna be there?"

"Oh, yeah. Me and my whole family."

"Good."

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	7. The Vapor of Nuance

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Chapter Seven  
**The Vapor of Nuance**  
1+1=3

  


"Anyway, my grandmother came to visit. ...I avoided her until we all sat down for dinner. And then she figured out the whole situation [I was pregnant] in, maybe, ten minutes, just by watching my face across the dinner table. I didn't say more than ten words--'Pass the tortillas.' I don't know how my face conveyed that information, or what kind of internal wiring in my grandmother's mind enabled her to accomplish this incredible feat. To condense fact from the vapor of nuance."

~Snowcrash  


  
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_What could be better than finishing up a successful duel with another Caeli knight and then seeing one's girlfriend waving at you....er, friend.....er, yeah, whatever. I do sorta like the sound of girlfriend, although it's vaguely terrifying to say such a thing about a princess... but she sure can kiss. I think I'll try to get her alone again tonight. Yeah, good plan!_

Eries and her little sister waved to me from the far side of the arena by the locker rooms. I walked over. "Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Millerna is looking for some kid she was playing with some time ago. She's been dragging me around with her for _hours_ and I decided since we were passing through that it would be fun stop by and see you. Oh, stop pouting, Millerna; just give me five minutes!" Eries sighed and looked back up at me. "It's hopeless; there's gotta be five hundred little brown-haired boys in this palace," she said.

"Oh. ....Well, I hope you find him."

"Yeah. What time will you be by tonight?" she asked.

_Woohoo! _"Seven?" I suggested.

"Great!" said Eries. She checked that no one, including her sister, was looking and then she quickly kissed me on the cheek.

Millerna seemed to be a rather distractable little girl; she had stopped whining and was raptly watching some of the other Caeli knights spar. "Come on, sis," said Eries and she dragged Millerna away.

I walked into the locker room then. Dryden was sitting on a bench poring over a sheet of paper. "How is it?" I asked.

"Your content is somewhat insightful. Your spelling is getting better. Your punctuation still stinks. Your penmanship is better than mine, which isn't much of a compliment actually. Rewrite with corrections and you'll get a B." He handed me back my essay, now covered with little red marks.

"Thanks," I said. "You got a date for the dance tonight?"

"Nope."

"You going to come anyway?" I asked.

"No, I think I'll just study tonight. Seeya later." He walked off, a contented little half-smile on his face, and I could tell his thoughts were with his future fiancee. Again. Eeew.

  


  
  
____________________  
  
  


  


I smoothed my skirts and stared at myself in the mirror. _Hmm. Not the kind of dress I usually wear._ It was a hand-me-down from Marlene. It was short-sleeved, low-necked and a really, really girly pale lettuce green colour. It wasn't pink and what little lace it bore was not itchy, so I rather liked it.

I was going to twirl around again when someone out in the hall called, "Mail!" and slid an envelope under the door to our suite. I swooped on it, hoping it was from Marlene. It was! Marlene and I wrote to each other every week but she'd missed a week since she'd been too busy giving birth! I'd heard through the official channels that she and the child were fine, but she'd promised to send me a letter as soon as possible afterwards and with pictures, too! I tore it open excitedly and read through it. I looked at the pictures she had enclosed. I bit my lip and read through the letter again.

We three sisters have shared this suite of rooms for all our lives. When you've spent so much time with someone, they can't keep secrets even when they try. The odd phrase, the accumulation of snippets...

Marlene hadn't seemed to like Mahad very much at first although she sounded quite sweet on him now. It was odd that she'd gotten pregnant so quickly. I looked at the picture. It was odd that Chid was pale and blonde. It was odd how she asked after all my friends.... except Allen.

_The big empty space in this letter has an Allen-shaped outline._

No. It couldn't be.

It's almost seven o'clock. Those will be his footsteps I hear coming up the hall. I'm sure I'm imagining things. I'll clear things up; I'll ask him just how well he knew her... 
  


  
  
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	8. Que Sera, Sera

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Chapter Seven  
**Que sera, sera**  


There is little to choose  
Between the pen and the sword.  
Too often, both write in blood.   
~Diane Duane

____________________  
  


  


My dormitory housed half geeky university students and half soldiers taking specialized military training. It was an interesting and occasionally volatile mix, but, despite our differences, a certain camaraderie had arisen between all us guys living together. And since I was at least 2 or 3 years younger than most of them, they all treated me like a younger brother or something. And they didn't usually gossip much, so half of them didn't realize I was Meiden Fassa's son. But they all knew something had happened to me. I'd caught concerned glances flung my way whenever I'd ventured out of my room the previous evening. So I got up half an hour early, so I could miss the bathroom rush.

Someone was there already though, vivisecting geese in the shower. I mean singing. "Hi, Gadeth," I said.

"How did you know it was me?" he called.

"Oh, believe me, I knew." His singing voice is unmistakable. And his complete lack of pitch...

I tried to brush my teeth, but discovered two were loose and my gums bled when poked. I could look forward to a nice blood- flavored breakfast. _Yuck._

_Morning has broken. Yeah. No shit._ I touched my cheek. "Ow!"

Gadeth was standing behind me with a towel wrapped around him. He met my gaze in the mirror. "You look terrible."

"You should see the other guy," I said, which was pure unadulterated bullshit. I mean bravado. Whatever.

"Ya-huh. You tried cold compresses?"

"Yeah, I did. That's why I don't have _two_ black eyes." I swiped at the fogged mirror.

_It's hard to tell, but I think my eye is even blacker than yesterday. Well, damn. My cheek is definitely green. And purple. Yellow in there, too. Sheesh! Is there actually a giant handprint on my face? Wonder if that means that if he'd hit me with his fist that he'd have broken my jaw. Hmmm. I rather think Dad's earned himself a practical joke. Maybe I'll have Tandy mail him a dead squirrel from Basram. Giftwrapped for sure._

"Um, Dryden, do you need any help with the snotty little Caeli or... uh, whoever did this to you?"

"It wasn't Allen," I said. Which was true. And like I'm going to tell this yahoo to go beat up my dad for me. _As if_. "It's all under control," I said. _Well, it is. Just not mine_.

Gadeth didn't look convinced. "Uh-huh."

"Thanks, though."

"Sure, kid. ...I hope you feel better than you look."

"Yeah. Yeah, I feel okay. I feel grand!"

"Well, take it easy today. Stay out of trouble," he said.

"No. Today I'm kicking some ass."

Gadeth takes his RA responsibilities seriously."Greeeeeeeattt," he said and leaned against the sink, clearly intending to talk some sense into me.

I cut him off before he could start. "Ha! Not bravado, here! I am going to ace these exams! As an emperor knows each member of his harem thoroughly, completely and with no mercy, so shall I make my way through the cute little exams they'll set before me today. I'll take it all on and _like_ it!"

Gadeth bit his lip trying not to smile. "Oh. Have fun."

I made faces at the mirror. "You damn betcha. Grrrrrr!"

Gadeth gave it up and laughed openly at me.

"You shut up. Bet you a billion dollars your psyche-up is equally stupid."

He grinned. "True." Gadeth clapped me on the shoulder and left me to it. I finished getting ready and started my exam day from hell with the thought of my entire dorm beating up Allen. A pleasant fantasy. I think it helped......

  


Read the rest of this chapter here:  
http://www.lizardlounge.com/Natasha/Didodikali/boyswillbe/08boyswillbe.html  


  


My other Escaflowne story, _Four Minutes_, picks up more or less right here. Now's your chance to read it again if you'd like, but paying more attention to the interactions between Allen and Dryden. Heh heh. I've not changed a thing, but now that we know Allen better, their interactions feel _rather_ different. A kiss, you know, is just a kiss... 

The next chapter of _Boys Will Be_ will encapsulate the _Four Minutes_ timeframe and then move on past. Remember? A young man steps off a cliff...

Que sera, sera,  
Whatever will be, will be...  


...eventually. Promise.

Boys Will Be Intro to Escaflowne Chapter One: No shit, there we were. Chapter Two: In the Details... Chapter Three: Doomed, I Say... Chapter Four: Nervous in the Service Chapter Five: Water to Whine Chapter Six: String or Nothing Chapter Seven: The Vapor of Nuance Chapter Eight: Que Sera, Sera Goodies for You! (Wallpaper) Didodikali's Lemonade Party (Links) 

* Esca wallpaper *   
  
Home ~ My Works ~ My Links ~ My Party ~ My Blog  


  



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